Premonitory urge in tic disorders – a scoping review

IntroductionPremonitory urges are uncomfortable bodily sensations preceding tics. They are highly prevalent, frequently bothersome, and increasingly recognized as a central phenotypic feature in tic disorder populations. This scoping review aimed to systematically consolidate published knowledge and...

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Main Authors: John B. Wohlgemuth, Kelly H. Watson, Kayce D. Gill, David A. Isaacs
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-01-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychiatry
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1504442/full
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author John B. Wohlgemuth
Kelly H. Watson
Kayce D. Gill
David A. Isaacs
author_facet John B. Wohlgemuth
Kelly H. Watson
Kayce D. Gill
David A. Isaacs
author_sort John B. Wohlgemuth
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionPremonitory urges are uncomfortable bodily sensations preceding tics. They are highly prevalent, frequently bothersome, and increasingly recognized as a central phenotypic feature in tic disorder populations. This scoping review aimed to systematically consolidate published knowledge and identify knowledge gaps regarding premonitory urges in primary tic disorders.MethodsSearch strategies were deployed in five databases and five topic-relevant journals. Two independent reviewers screened all candidate abstracts against predefined inclusion criteria. One hundred and fifty-five articles were included in the scoping review. The same two reviewers independently extracted and consolidated pertinent data from included articles.ResultsMultiple methods for assessing premonitory urge were identified, each with strengths and weaknesses. The subjective quality of premonitory urges varies between individuals, with increased prevalence of a “not just right” urge quality in individuals with comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder. Awareness of premonitory urge appears to arise several years after tic-onset, yet many individuals perceive their tics as voluntary responses to premonitory urges. Premonitory urges and tics are temporally coupled in real time, but premonitory urge severity and tic severity, as assessed by clinical scales, are not consistently associated. The mechanistic and developmental relationship between premonitory urges and tics remains unclear. Data are limited on premonitory urge response to treatment, but several promising interventions were identified. The insula and supplementary motor area are the neuroanatomical structures most strongly implicated in emergence of the premonitory urge.DiscussionKnowledge of the clinical characteristics, measurement, and neural mechanisms of premonitory urge has advanced considerably in recent years, but important knowledge gaps remain in each of these domains. Addressing these knowledge gaps will be key to developing effective interventions for premonitory urge.Systematic Review RegistrationOpen Science Framework (OSF) https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/WT43Z.
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spelling doaj-art-3106cdbba4e44524be95c71302db78622025-01-30T06:22:34ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402025-01-011610.3389/fpsyt.2025.15044421504442Premonitory urge in tic disorders – a scoping reviewJohn B. Wohlgemuth0Kelly H. Watson1Kayce D. Gill2David A. Isaacs3Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, United StatesDepartment of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United StatesAnnette and Irwin Eskind Family Biomedical Library and Learning Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United StatesDepartment of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United StatesIntroductionPremonitory urges are uncomfortable bodily sensations preceding tics. They are highly prevalent, frequently bothersome, and increasingly recognized as a central phenotypic feature in tic disorder populations. This scoping review aimed to systematically consolidate published knowledge and identify knowledge gaps regarding premonitory urges in primary tic disorders.MethodsSearch strategies were deployed in five databases and five topic-relevant journals. Two independent reviewers screened all candidate abstracts against predefined inclusion criteria. One hundred and fifty-five articles were included in the scoping review. The same two reviewers independently extracted and consolidated pertinent data from included articles.ResultsMultiple methods for assessing premonitory urge were identified, each with strengths and weaknesses. The subjective quality of premonitory urges varies between individuals, with increased prevalence of a “not just right” urge quality in individuals with comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder. Awareness of premonitory urge appears to arise several years after tic-onset, yet many individuals perceive their tics as voluntary responses to premonitory urges. Premonitory urges and tics are temporally coupled in real time, but premonitory urge severity and tic severity, as assessed by clinical scales, are not consistently associated. The mechanistic and developmental relationship between premonitory urges and tics remains unclear. Data are limited on premonitory urge response to treatment, but several promising interventions were identified. The insula and supplementary motor area are the neuroanatomical structures most strongly implicated in emergence of the premonitory urge.DiscussionKnowledge of the clinical characteristics, measurement, and neural mechanisms of premonitory urge has advanced considerably in recent years, but important knowledge gaps remain in each of these domains. Addressing these knowledge gaps will be key to developing effective interventions for premonitory urge.Systematic Review RegistrationOpen Science Framework (OSF) https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/WT43Z.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1504442/fullTourette syndrometic disorderticpremonitory urgepremonitory sensationsensory
spellingShingle John B. Wohlgemuth
Kelly H. Watson
Kayce D. Gill
David A. Isaacs
Premonitory urge in tic disorders – a scoping review
Frontiers in Psychiatry
Tourette syndrome
tic disorder
tic
premonitory urge
premonitory sensation
sensory
title Premonitory urge in tic disorders – a scoping review
title_full Premonitory urge in tic disorders – a scoping review
title_fullStr Premonitory urge in tic disorders – a scoping review
title_full_unstemmed Premonitory urge in tic disorders – a scoping review
title_short Premonitory urge in tic disorders – a scoping review
title_sort premonitory urge in tic disorders a scoping review
topic Tourette syndrome
tic disorder
tic
premonitory urge
premonitory sensation
sensory
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1504442/full
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